Meant To Live
by IsleofSolitude
Summary: Sakura. Naruto. Sasuke. When Team 7 meets again, they are not teammates, but enemies. oneshot.


I'm a broke little girl. Leave me be. The song is by Switchfoot, and I definitely don't own Naruto.

Italics are flashbacks, bold italics are lyrics.

**Meant to Live**

* * *

**_Fumbling his confidence _**

**_And wondering why the world has passed him by _**

**_Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments _**

**_And failed attempts to fly, fly _**

Sakura never knew exactly when Sasuke failed at living a (semi) normal life. Was it when he saw his entire clan murdered by the one person he admired? Maybe it was when he vowed to destroy that person. And don't forget that time Orochimaru left the curse mark on his neck. Most people blame the fact that he left in search of power, in search of that disgusting snake summoner.

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves? _**

**_Somewhere we live inside _**

**_Somewhere we live inside _**

Sakura never believed she be at this moment in her life, hunting the man she always claimed to love. Being told in no uncertain terms to kill him.

_"You can't hold back, Sakura. If you hold back for the boy you once though he once, then you have no chance to defeat him." Tsunade-sama looked at her gravely over her desk. _

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves? _**

**_Somewhere we live inside _**

"Sakura-chan, the ANBU are splitting now. You ready?" Naruto looked at her from his perch on a high limb. She took in his pale, grim faced and couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain. His cheerful, mischievous countenance was gone, replaced with something that was closer to that of the kyuubi she had read about, heard about. "Sakura-chan, c'mon."

"Hai, Naruto." As they set off towards their target, she couldn't help but remember.

**_Dreaming about _****_Providence_**

**_And whether mice or men have second tries _**

_"Tsunade-sama…do you mean that we are not to attempt to bring him back alive?" Sakura looked at her teacher and leader with shocked eyes. _

_Tsunade hesitated, then nodded. "It cannot be helped, Sakura. He is too far gone, to attempt to bring him back alive would be a disastrous mistake. He is Orochimaru's apprentice." The older woman looked at her for a moment. "Don't think that you have the power to bring him back. That method has been tried before." A flash of pain passed through her eyes. "It failed."_

_Sakura bowed her head. "I understand, Tsunade-sama." She got up and went to the door. "But don't think that just because you failed to get back a teammate, I will."_

**_Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open _**

**_Maybe we're bent and broken, broken_**

_"Kakashi-sensei, you have to train me!"_

_"I will train you Sakura, but I will not allow you on the mission when it comes."_

_"Why not?__ Because I'm not going to be strong enough? That's what the training is for. Because I'm too emotionally involved? Then don't send Naruto either."_

_"…"_

_"Kakashi-sensei, we once stood right here and became a team. We admitted we were one. I'm part of that team. Naruto and I have the best chance to bring back Sasuke-kun, out of ANYONE. Don't let our time be split up even more than it has to be."_

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves? _**

**_Somewhere we live inside _**

**_Somewhere we live inside _**

Sakura remembers how it felt to train with Naruto and her surprise when Kakashi told them to team up against him.

_After the hundredth time of Kakashi knocking them out of breath, he exploded. _

_"Naruto! Every time you defend Sakura, you leave yourself open to an attack. Stop worrying about her at the cost of yourself. She's strong enough. And Sakura, quit hesitating because Naruto is attacking! You both admit to being a team, so start acting like it._

A smirk graces Sakura's lips as the surprised and relieved look on Kakashi's face when he's the one on the ground with Sakura and Naruto standing over him.

The next day the mission was carried out.

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves? _**

**_Somewhere we live inside _**

They're suddenly dodging kunai, reading each others' moves from the distance separating them. A hint of blonde, a flash of pink, and suddenly they stand in front of dull onyx.

"Naruto, Sakura."

"Sasuke. Ready?"

Two smirks, one of enjoyment, one of confidence. Cherry lips drawn into a frown.

It begins. The first time Naruto is not there and Sakura is, he is surprised. The Sakura he remembers is not this strong. Just as clever, but not strong. Sakura and Naruto move with ease, effortlessly combining their attacks, covering each others' backs. They are a team.

Had Sasuke stayed, he would have been with them. As it is, he finds it hard. Naruto is slightly predictable, Sakura isn't. He doesn't know her stances, or where her next kick will come from.

**_We want more than this world's got to offer _**

Naruto makes a simple mistake, and Sasuke sees it. He throws him back, bashing his head against trees and rocks. He doesn't get up.

Sasuke smirks again, not in enjoyment, but in a grim satisfaction. He throws a kunai aimed for the throat.

**_We want more than this world's got to offer _**

Sakura doesn't remember ever running so fast in her life, but she's there, and she's caught the kunai. She sinks into a stance and rushes at Sasuke, determined to save at least one of the men in her life.

Is it hesitation or underestimation that causes him to react slowly, to give her time to slide behind him and slice the back of his knee?

Whatever it was, he falls to one knee as she steps back.

**_We want more than the wars of our fathers_**

"It's over, Sasuke-kun." She looks at the man she loved, loves, hates. "Either come back to the village or I'll kill you here."

"I am an avenger." He answers, perhaps sadly, definitely without remorse.

"If you want to kill him so bad, then why are you becoming him!"

Sasuke's eyes lock on hers.

**_And everything inside screams for second life yeah_**

"Why are you betraying your family? You left Konoha, left Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, me! Why do you want to KILL your family? You were going to kill Naruto! Why become an avenger just to walk the path Itachi did? You can't possibly be happy with this!"

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves? _**

"Sasuke-kun, people are going to die by your hand. Innocent people, like your clan did. Why?" Tears flow down her cheeks.

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves_**

_"To me…to me…I would be just as alone as you…"_

_"You're…annoying."_

Noises in the area, coming closer.

**_We were meant to live for so much more _**

**_Have we lost ourselves? _**

Sasuke's troops, coming to see what was keeping their commander.

Sakura looks at Sasuke, who's head is bowed. "If you fight me, I won't hold back. I'm going to live, and so is Naruto."

**_We were meant to live_**

Sakura sinks into a stance above Naruto and waits as the shinobi come closer. There is a sudden warmth against her back and she looks over her shoulder as Sasuke leans his against it. Kunai in hand, he looks at Naruto, and then meets her eyes.

"I'm not Itachi."

**_We were meant to live

* * *

_**

That sounded so much better in my head….-hides-


End file.
